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Techno-Economic Assessment of Coal-Fired Power Unit Decarbonization Retrofit with KP-FHR Small Modular Reactors

Author

Listed:
  • Łukasz Bartela

    (Department of Power Engineering and Turbomachinery, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland)

  • Paweł Gładysz

    (Faculty of Energy and Fuels, AGH University of Science and Technology, 30-059 Krakow, Poland)

  • Charalampos Andreades

    (Kairos Power LLC, Alameda, CA 94501, USA)

  • Staffan Qvist

    (Qvist Consulting Limited, London UB1 3EP, UK)

  • Janusz Zdeb

    (Tauron Wytwarzanie S.A., 43-603 Jaworzno, Poland)

Abstract

The near and mid-term future of the existing Polish coal-fired power fleet is uncertain. The longer-term operation of unabated coal power is incompatible with climate policy and is economically challenging because of the increasing price of CO 2 emission allowances in the EU. The results of the techno-economic analysis presented in this paper indicate that the retrofit of existing coal-fired units, by means of replacing coal-fired boilers with small modular reactors, may be an interesting option for the Polish energy sector. It has been shown that the retrofit can reduce the costs in relation to greenfield investments by as much as 35%. This analysis focuses on the repowering of a 460 MW supercritical coal-fired unit based on the Łagisza power plant design with high temperature small modular nuclear reactors based on the 320 MW th unit design by Kairos Power. The technical analyses did not show any major difficulties in integrating. The economic analyses show that the proposed retrofits can be economically justified, and, in this respect, they are more advantageous than greenfield investments. For the base economic scenario, the difference in NPV (Net Present Value) is more favorable for the retrofit by 556.9 M€ and the discounted payback period for this pathway is 10 years.

Suggested Citation

  • Łukasz Bartela & Paweł Gładysz & Charalampos Andreades & Staffan Qvist & Janusz Zdeb, 2021. "Techno-Economic Assessment of Coal-Fired Power Unit Decarbonization Retrofit with KP-FHR Small Modular Reactors," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-25, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2021:i:9:p:2557-:d:546388
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Łukasz Bartela & Paweł Gładysz & Jakub Ochmann & Staffan Qvist & Lou Martinez Sancho, 2022. "Repowering a Coal Power Unit with Small Modular Reactors and Thermal Energy Storage," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-28, August.
    2. Haneklaus, Nils & Qvist, Staffan & Gładysz, Paweł & Bartela, Łukasz, 2023. "Why coal-fired power plants should get nuclear-ready," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 280(C).
    3. Tassi, Francesco & Kittner, Noah, 2024. "Repurposing coal plants—regional economic impacts from low carbon generation," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    4. Jiang, Dianqiang & Zhang, Dalin & Li, Xinyu & Wang, Shibao & Wang, Chenglong & Qin, Hao & Guo, Yanwen & Tian, Wenxi & Su, G.H. & Qiu, Suizheng, 2022. "Fluoride-salt-cooled high-temperature reactors: Review of historical milestones, research status, challenges, and outlook," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).

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